Dabbieri Blog

Tips for Remodeling Your Guest House

Now that summer's in full swing, many of us are taking advantage of the warm weather to visit our family and friends. Reunions can be fun, but sometimes your house can feel cramped with all those guests under one roof. This is where a guest house or even a guest suite comes in handy. Entertaining family can be less stressful when everyone has their own space. 

Plus, guest houses can be used as additional income when you aren't hosting family. You can easily rent out these spaces to vacationers in the area, all while increasing your property value. When designing a place for guests, functionality is key, so we've assembled five simple tips to keep in mind when remodeling your guest house.

Keep It Simple

Daroca Attar matte/satin porcelain by Emser Tile

One of the most important things to consider when remodeling your guest house is what the space will function as. Ask yourself the big questions like how many rooms do you need? Who will be hosted here? Evaluate your square footage and recognize the essential functions of a guest house. These typically include a separate bathroom, bedroom, and living space for the guests. 

Maybe, you don't have the property to build an entirely separate guest house. You can still design a separate unit like a single guest room loft or a basement guest suite. The most important thing is establishing a clear line between your space and the guests' to increase privacy. This tends to help guests feel more comfortable when they have an area of their own —and it keeps them out of your hair when you just need some time to yourself.

Design a Guest Bathroom with Amenities

Technique Carbon Matte/Satin Porcelain by Emser Tile

It's always a bright idea to have a bathroom that's designated just for guests. Guest bathrooms are great in theory, but in practice, they usually require a lot of amenities. These include the basics like towels, a shower, and some soap. Sometimes an open concept layout with the bedroom and the bathroom connected can save space and make your suite user-friendly for all ages. Consider putting together a basket of toiletries with various sundries like shampoo, conditioner, cotton balls, and toothpaste because we all know someone will forget a toothbrush.

Choose Practical Floors

Coretec 5 luxury vinyl flooring

Conceivably one of the most critical elements in your guest house is the floors. It's always safest to install a durable floor throughout the guest suite so that you don't have to worry about spills or guests tracking in dirt from outside. Installing the same floor throughout the entire guest home also keeps the space cohesive and helps carry a similar design theme across the home. Luxury vinyl planks and tiles are great for guest houses as they tend to be less expensive than their natural hardwood or stone counterparts. Luxury vinyl is pretty easy to install and can withstand all types of messes, so you can rest easy knowing that your floors are protected.

Create a Space for Relax and Reprieve 

Graber solar sliding panel 

Every great guest suite should have ample room for guests to escape to for a relaxing moment. Having a private bubble to relax in is crucial for any getaway, no matter how short. Plus, this can double as an extra living space and a place to find some serenity when you want to duck away from your own family house. 

Consider Adding a Kitchen Space

Havana White Matte/Satin Ceramic Emser Tile

Cooking for a whole group of guests is exciting for a couple of nights, but it gets to be overwhelming when you are responsible for three meals a day. Install a kitchen or kitchenette in your guesthouse so that your extended family and friends can take over some of their own food prep. Additional kitchen space is also useful around the holidays when you're cooking large feasts or hosting dinner parties, as you can use the extra refrigerator and oven space to your advantage.

Show us how you've remodeled your guest houses and suites, and incorporate some of these valuable tips!

5 Great Room Ideas to Elevate Your Home

The key to every beautiful home is a lovely sitting room for family and friends to gather and unwind with a couple of drinks and deep conversation. But how do you create a great room that’s both stunning and functions well for your lifestyle? Between work-from-home days, family dinners, and hosting cocktail hour, chances are your front room gets a lot of use. We’ve assembled several tips to help you delineate your great room from the rest of the house so that it can serve its purpose: recreation and relaxation.

1. Open Floor Plan

Cellular Shades by Graber

First off, you might be wondering what is the great room in a house? A great room is typically a large, open space in your home designed for entertainment and gathering. The concept of an open floor plan can commonly be found in the great room, combining an area for eating with space for sitting and conversation. While great rooms are often confused with living rooms and family rooms, the great room is where the elements of both of these spaces are combined.

Since your great room is meant to be used every day, functionality is critical. Several open floor plan ideas include arranging your furniture away from the walls and creating a cohesive style from floor to ceiling. Commonly, great rooms have higher ceilings, allowing for better acoustics and a feeling of spaciousness. 

2. Diffuse Plenty of Natural Light

Hanger Ash Porcelain by Emser Tile

Include large windows, open doors, and well-designed spatial planes into your great room’s architecture. Allow natural light to be drawn in through large bay windows or skylights to diffuse your living room in an organic glow. Arched entryways and paned door windows offer excellent space for natural light to flow through. In addition, use soft color palettes like blue-grays, lavenders, and sage-greens as these lighter hues draw on light and can brighten up your space, so it feels less dark and cavernous. 

3. Install Same Floor Throughout

Kalta Bianco Polished Marble Emser Tile

It’s essential to consider the flooring in your great room, as this can either be a focal point or a blank canvas for your design style. Install one floor throughout your entire great room to create a unified theme. Using one floor type throughout works visually to pull separate spaces (like the dining area, the living area, and the breakfast nook) together. Wide-plank hardwood floors, large-format tiles, and natural stone all make exquisitely appealing solutions in the great room. Dark walnut or ebony hardwood is a popular choice for great rooms as they add a nice contrast and give off a polished look with their richly dark grain texture.

4. Consider a Gorgeous Mantel

Pacific Rim Silver Engineered Stone Concrete by Emser Tile

Have you ever wondered why so many great rooms have fireplaces or mantels? This is because not only are mantelpieces a beautiful focus of the design, but they also function to delineate space to the conversation area. Drawing couches, loveseats, and chairs around the fireplace builds a cozy conversation circle and lends a warm touch to your room.

5. Bring in Texture

Landfair in Espresso by Louis A. Dabbieri Line

While you can pick out tasteful furniture, lighting, and color schemes to create a gorgeous great room with soaring ceilings, your space can still feel cold if you don’t add dimension with texture. Area rugs, greenery, throw pillows, blankets, and sculptures are just several ways to include texture. When searching for an area rug in the great room, keep in mind that 8 × 10-foot and 10 x 12-foot sizes are frequently ideal for large spaces. Of course, you can always layer several area rugs to create a custom look that’s more casual and increases the soft composition of your great room.

Checkered Patterns Making a Comeback

With trends like cottagecore and maximalism on the rise, prints are back in full swing. One of the most popular patterns to resurface is checkered prints. These horizontal and vertical lines criss-cross to form an array of shapes from plaids to gingham to houndstooth. Great for all seasons, checkered patterns suit every decor style and can be easily incorporated throughout your home with bedsheets, throw pillows, artwork, and of course, your flooring. One of the best features of these prints is that they typically incorporate two or more colors, making it a fun design option to liven up a space and tie existing elements and hues together. 

Playful Plaid Area Rugs

Kaleen's Satorial Collection in Grey

Plaid patterns have long been a go-to print for designers, not just in interior design but in the fashion world. From plaid skirts to plaid throws, what is it about this pattern that draws people in? Well, what started as practicality for farmers and utility workers has become a fashion staple. Plaid flannel fabric is effectively insulating, and the print seems to signal a specific sense of warmth with its soft material and casually irregular stripes. While you might think of plaid as a cold-weather design, plaid area rugs come in various playful hues, from muted greens to bright yellows. These rugs can spruce up your home quite nicely with their practical protection of hardwood floors and trend-setting style.

Traditional Checkered Carpets

Karastan's Woolston Plaid in Castle Wall

Checkerboard patterns are a timeless option, with their equally sized squares playing off of two different colors. Checkered prints can dress up a formal space while also adding a bit of warmth depending on the colors used and the material it's created out of. Dating back to ancient Egyptian temples, checkerboard patterns usually appear in black and white; however current trends have led to the unconventional use of color to add a modern twist. Blend tradition with a contemporary-modern approach by finding a checkered print carpet in color for your living space. This will elevate your interior design with a style that's symbolic of Victorian hallways and French villas. 

Abstract Checked Patterns

Nourison's Graphix in Cream/Black

Are you looking for a bolder, more dramatic look? Try your hand at finding area rugs with dynamic abstract checks. This eye-catching bold graphic area rug from Nourison beautifully captures a two-toned palette with its oversized checked pattern. This pattern ties in with the design surge in abstract art and decor while also allowing other patterns to trickle in. This beautiful Don't be afraid to mix and match your favorite prints —in fact, we encourage it, and this style finally has a name: maximalism.  

Subtle Graph Patterns

Kaleen's Green Cay Collection in Taupe 

This graph pattern is typically found in professional work attire, as it's subtle enough to blend in with a myriad of design styles. These pencil-thin, solid lines create single unfilled squares against a contrasting fabric. Graph patterned carpets are perfect for casual settings like living rooms, family rooms, and four seasons porches. 

The Best Flooring for Your Outdoor Kitchen

Nothing beats a good barbecue in the backyard, and what better way to elevate your evening family dinners than with an outdoor kitchen. Outdoor kitchens serve many uses, from ideal entertainment spaces to increasing your home value. Many of us are eager to make the most of these lazy summer days with family and friends, given a year of isolation. 

Lucite Glass and Stone Linear Blends by Emser Tile 

Socializing outdoors is a favorite summer pastime for many, lazing by the pool or playing lawn games, so make the most of the warm weather by spending time cooking and eating outside too. Of course, to create a functional outdoor kitchen and dining area, you’ll need to invest in some durable flooring solutions. We’ve compiled a list of our top contenders for outdoor spaces.

Natural Stone Flooring

quartzite natural stone, floor in reminiscent memento white by Daltile

Your outdoor kitchen should have a naturally durable and long-lasting floor which is why natural stone flooring is one of the most popular and best flooring options for outdoor kitchens. Since your outdoor space will be exposed to all kinds of weather, natural stone is the ideal floor, given its incredible strength against extreme winds, sunlight, and humidity. Depending on your design style and taste, you can find a natural stone for any outdoor space from flagstone to marble to granite. 

Porcelain Tiles

Brava Carbon Matte/Satin Porcelain by Emser Tile

Performing well under various climates, porcelain tiles have many attractive qualities that make them optimal for outdoor use. This durable, slip-resistant tile is easy to care for and is available in limitless design options so you can get the porch look of your dreams. Made from kiln-fired clay, porcelain can be precisely cut to specific dimensions to create a customized kitchen terrace of your design. Porcelain’s scratch resistance bodes well for heavy patio furniture and families with four-legged friends and kids underfoot. Plus, these tiles are mold and mildew-resistant, so you don’t have to worry about water damage under severe weather conditions.

Concrete Tile Flooring

Concrete is back in, and we love it! This versatile flooring option is among one of the most affordable —and robust outdoor floor options. Say goodbye to the industrial concrete basement floors of the past and let stylish concrete tiles lead the way to functional outdoor kitchens. Easy to maintain, concrete will last forever and is available in more flooring styles than you might think, from stamped concrete to exposed aggregate finishes. Stamp, stain or texture your concrete floors to jazz them up a bit and elevate their appearance. 

Dining Room Area Rugs

Stark Area Rugs

You’d be surprised by how quickly an area rug can dress up your outdoor space. Find a stylish outdoor rug to sit under your dining table or arrange your outdoor furniture on a trendy patterned throw. Rugs can protect your outdoor hard surfaces or cover up existing floor damage. They add a cozy touch to patios and terraces and instantly warm up any area that lacks color. Offered in endless styles, patterns, and materials, area rugs are quintessential to designing a beautiful outdoor kitchen space.

How to Incorporate Japandi Style Into Your Home

Japandi styled interiors are all the rage this season, blending the beautiful elements of Scandinavian architecture with detailed Japanese decor. Simple, clean lines and modern minimalist pieces dominate this trend. This style is perfect for homebodies and avid interior decorators alike as it combines the minimalism of Scandinavian design with bright, playful elements inspired by nature. Think sleek lines, neutral colors, and calm setups when you opt to infuse your home with a Japandi design. 

Clean Lines

Cork Flooring by Duro Design

The concept of clean lines rules over Scandinavian design, and so it also comes into play with Japandi. Reducing clutter to create open spaces is key, so for those looking to simplify their home decor, Japandi is the right style for you. This doesn’t necessarily mean getting rid of all of your personal items —just the unnecessary ones. For your essentials, consider storage containers, decorative boxes, wicker baskets, and folding screens to store away excess stuff in a simple, concealed way. When looking for furniture, adopt a simple, no-frills policy, finding pieces designed with purpose and straightforward shapes like tapered dining sets, rattan hoop chairs, and screened media cabinets.

Spaces Driven by Function

Action Advanced Polished Porcelain by Emser Tile

As one of the most critical factors of Japandi, making sure your furniture and rooms are driven by functionality is not only a design requirement but a practical need for your space. The concept of “hygge” comes into play as you intentionally create places in your home to provide a sanctuary that lends the sense of coziness and homeyness. The key to creating a Japandi style room is to balance out simplicity and warmth with your furniture and decor. Find pieces that are built low to the floor and function as staples to your lifestyle. 

Natural Materials

Natural materials, simple designs, and green decor all blend beautifully in Japandi interior design. This style thrives on the notion that beauty is imperfection, so raw, organic elements are welcomed through throws, blankets, pillows, furniture, and wall art. Find accent pieces that use organic materials like white oak and bamboo, as these lighter woods can open up your space and keep the design rooted in the natural world. Opt for natural stone or hardwood flooring in your home, as these floors compliment the pared-down Japandi style with their authenticity.

Influence of Color

Havana Silver Matte/Satin Ceramic Emser Tile

Colors that have a calming, tranquil, and peaceful effect dominate this design style. Bright palettes are incorporated in meaningful and subtle ways. Use warm neutral colors throughout most of your space and add a splash of color with soft, cool pastels or a daring black accent. Natural light is crucial to properly display these bright hues, so keep decor minimalist and allowing light to circulate to give your space a more airy, natural glow. 

How have you integrated Japandi style elements into your home?